


The 12 Labours of Robin Hood

by thisisamadhouse



Series: In every universe you and I are soulmates [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, F/M, Goddess!Regina, mortal!Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 11:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13951050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisamadhouse/pseuds/thisisamadhouse
Summary: “Who do you think you are, mortal? You, who just drew blood and sullied my temple.”





	The 12 Labours of Robin Hood

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted for the 1st OQ week

Robin was running, running, running. His throat and lungs were burning, his muscles were cramping but he couldn’t stop running. For days, he had been pursuing those men, and it was finally down to one: the leader of the group, the most vicious one, the one who was really responsible for the massacre. Robin had to make sure he got what he deserved, no matter the cost.

  
He hadn’t been thinking straight since he came home from the battle of Marathon to find- _no, it wasn’t the time to relive that_. Now was the time to finish what he started. He would crumble and mourn his losses later. 

  
He felt like he had travelled across half of Greece, and it was close to the truth, but this chase was coming to an end.

  
Robin was gaining ground on the man and he wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings, only aware that they were now ascending a hill. He never noticed the great marble structure they were approaching.

  
He only saw red, red like the blood of the other men he had killed, red like the blood of the man who was now… kneeling on the ground?

  
“Please, help me, help me…” The man was begging, in an unceasing mantra, over and over, to who-knows-which deity. His prayers remained unanswered as Robin finally towered over him, seizing him by the hair and making him stand back up.

  
He used his fists, his feet, his elbows, even his head, anything to hit this worthless excuse of a man. Robin looked down at the bruised, bleeding man on the ground  trying to crawl away from him. He took his knife out and finished him, the cries of pain were music to his ears, and he stabbed and stabbed, until the man cried no more. Robin stayed there, watching the pool of blood growing and growing, until it reached the feet of a statue, and a thunder clap resounded suddenly.

  
A booming voice echoed all around him, and for the first time Robin realised he was in a temple.

  
“Who do you think you are, mortal? You, who just drew blood and sullied my temple.”

  
Robin thought that he was going mad, and he dropped his knife as his jaw went slack. Surely, he was imagining that the head of the statue had moved and was looking in his direction, the blank, supposedly unseeing eyes, fixing his own.

  
He took a deep breath and answered in the most assured tone he could muster.

  
“I am Robin of Plataea, who fought in the battle of Marathon and came home victorious, but what’s victory when lowlifes like this,” he said, kicking the body lying on the floor, “take advantage of the city being left unprotected to attack and rob it, and kill women and children? What’s victory when I found my wife, who was carrying my child, broken, bruised, bleeding to death on the floor, with five men standing over her. Five men who weren’t even brave enough to stay and fight. They fled like cowards, and I pursued them, and I killed them until the last. I don’t care what the Gods have to say about it now because you weren’t there when it mattered. You weren’t there when my wife and her friends were fighting for their lives, and you weren’t there when I called to any God who would listen, begging for help. I did what I had to do, and I would do it again. Whatever you wish to throw at me, I can take it.”

  
There was a pause, a long pause, and Robin started to think he had imagined the whole thing when the voice spoke again.

* * *

  
Regina Nemesis had been observing him for a while. Unaware of the massacre of Plataea until it was too late, her attention diverted by the battle of Marathon, with both sides loudly calling out for revenge, it took her time to quieten the voices enough to hear anything else. When she had, his calls seemed louder than anything she had ever heard before. 

  
She was the ruthless Goddess of revenge, of retribution. Nobody escaped her punishments, she was unyielding and remorseless, but even she felt at a loss in front of such savagery. She hadn’t intervened because she knew there was nothing she could do that would possibly appease this man and his friends after having lost their families the way they did.

  
An offence in her sanctuary, however, couldn’t be ignored. It could lead to mortals believing temples weren’t sacred anymore, and the other Gods would have her head for it, or try to anyway, not that she cared much about it. They feared her, her power was more ancient than theirs and revenge was something mortals would always seek. She would never be forgotten, not until the end of times.

  
None of this mattered though, she was the one who dispensed justice, and she had let this go on long enough. Even with all the blood on his hands, this man could be saved, she knew it, if only she could convince him to listen.

  
As he bravely justified his actions and called on the absence of a response by the Gods, she was taken aback. She was used to grovelling mortals, who were either begging for her to unleash her wrath on those who supposedly wronged them, or imploring for her forgiveness for the crimes they themselves committed. This man was not remorseful, he had asked for help and taken matters in his own hands when it didn’t come. He seemed ready to accept any punishment she would deem appropriate.

  
This made her even more determined with her course of action. Her silence had thrown him off, and as he turned to leave, she spoke again, choosing not to use her statue but instead appearing in the temple itself, invisible to him and thus able to observe him more closely.

  
“Those men were mine to punish, and if you had been patient, I would have, but certainly not in my own temple. However, first, I had to make sure the victors of the battle of Marathon would not be more cruel than necessary and that the vanquished would not attempt some desperate actions. Your crimes deserve punishment, and since you don’t seem to care too much about your own life, maybe you would even want me to cut it short so you could join your wife in Hades.” His expression told her she had guessed right, and she continued, “I have a proposal for you. You will offer your services to King Leopold of Tiryns, who will entrust you with several difficult, some might even say impossible, tasks, and when you have accomplished ten of them, you will be forgiven. I will even let you choose between joining your wife and continuing your life on this Earth.”

He appeared surprised by such an offer and stayed silent as he considered it. 

  
“Why him?” He finally asked, looking right at her, and her breath caught as she wondered if he could see her. His eyes weren’t focusing though, as if he had a general inkling as to where she was but couldn’t distinguish her. It was the first time something like that had ever happened to her.

  
“King Leopold? Let’s just say this is a case of two birds, one stone. The man needs to be taken down a peg or two, and I’m confident in your abilities to help with that,” she answered simply, smirking. He would soon find out for himself that Leopold’s arrogance had no limit. “Do you accept my proposal?”

* * *

  
Robin didn’t have many other options and he knew it. The Goddess hadn’t seemed too inclined to give him what he wanted most, to join his wife. It would have looked like a reward, he had to pay for his crimes first, not that it seemed fair to him. Maybe he would die during one of those impossible tasks, maybe that was her intent.

  
He was on the road to Tiryns, to meet this king he was to serve. The Goddess popped into his thoughts every now and then. Regina Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, he’d found out later that it was her temple he’d stumbled into. How fitting. 

  
When she had proposed this arrangement, he thought he was able to feel her presence in the sanctuary. Her voice hadn’t come from the statue but had echoed throughout the whole structure. From the corner of his eyes, he had discerned a shimmer, a silhouette all lights seemed to converge to. He had known at once it was her. He couldn’t make out her features but he had known, and he wondered if the legends were true and if her contact would burn him.

  
He shook off this fleeting thought as he finally ascended the hill on top of which stood Tiryns. He gave his name to the guards at the door and was told he was expected by the King. One of them guided him to the palace and its large reception hall.

  
King Leopold was sitting on his throne placed against the right wall and Robin saluted him.

  
“Here he is, the offender to the Goddess who comes here to repent. I was given some instructions for your punishment,” the monarch informed him, leaning back in his royal seat.

  
Robin instantly felt an intense dislike towards the man and his superior air, and he understood better why the Goddess wanted to “take him down a peg or two”.

  
He tuned the King out as he went on and on about the dangerousness of the tasks he would have to perform, how many before him had attempted them and perished doing so. _If only_ , Robin thought.

  
He was then led to his room and told to return to the throne room in the morning where his first labour would be revealed to him, and he would be able to arm himself before leaving.

  
He dreamt of her for the first time that night. As he had settled in the bed, and closed his eyes, he had thought of Marian, the life they had and the one they would never have together with their child. His dream had changed though, Marian’s face morphing into another, one he had never seen before but would never be able to forget. 

  
Long, wavy black hair, surrounding an olive-toned oval where two intense dark eyes were shining, her mouth, with its dark red lips, lips that were calling his name. His eyes were drawn to the scar on the right side of her upper lip, he clenched his hand to stop himself from running his fingers along it, and he wondered why a Goddess wouldn’t be able to make it disappear. His gaze wandered and took in her white form-fitting gown and the golden belt encircling her waist.

  
“Be careful, they will not let you succeed. You have more abilities than you ever thought possible,” she whispered, her voice echoing around him just as it had in the temple. He wasn’t sure what she meant, but he felt more content watching her than finding out.

  
“Will you watch over me?” He asked, drowning in her eyes.

  
“Do you deserve it?” She replied, slowly disappearing away.

  
He woke up suddenly, a slight breeze disturbing the curtains and he wondered if it had really been a dream.

  
In the morning, he met with the King again, who gave him his first task: to slay the Nemean Lion, a man-eating beast who lured his victims, usually warriors, in his lair by using women it kidnapped, and bring back his skin as a trophy and proof. The irony wasn’t lost on Robin, since a lion was the emblem he wore on his skin, chosen by his family long ago.

  
He chose a bow and arrows and a club as his weapons and left the city. It took him half a day of walking to arrive near Nemea. On the road he stopped in Cleonae where he met and befriended a young shepherd, David. The man offered to make a sacrifice to the King of Gods to help Robin in his quest, but Robin told him to wait thirty days. If he succeeded, they would make the sacrifice together, if he died, David would make the sacrifice to Robin as a hero.

  
Then, after several days, Robin was able to track the lion in Nemea and shot several arrows at him, but they seemed to rebound without doing any damage. He followed the lion to its lair, a cave with two entrances. He had the same dream that night, in which the Goddess told him he had abilities even he didn’t suspect. He tried to hold on to her, his fascination with her growing with each of her appearances. He wanted her to stay and tell him what she meant.

  
The next day, it appeared clearly to him what he had to do. He obstructed one of the cave’s entrance and entered it through the other. He approached the Lion silently and hit it with his club. As the beast was disoriented, Robin seized it in his arms and choked it. He was marked by the claws but ignored the pain and the Lion struggled less and less. Finally, it was dead, and the rush of adrenaline Robin had felt left him. He panted, falling on his knees, trying to understand how he had been able to do this when the words of the Goddess came back to him. _Abilities even he didn’t suspect_ , she had said. He shook his head and set to finish his first labour.

  
Robin tried to skin the creature with a knife, but he was unable to. He heard a small whisper, right in his ear, telling him only the Lion’s claws could skin it. He smiled, recognizing the voice, and followed her instructions. He went back to Cleonae, and found David, and together, they sacrificed to the supreme God.

  
He carried the trophy back to Tiryns and presented it to the King. Leopold was amazed and terrified by Robin’s accomplishment, and he forbade him entrance to the city. Robin was now to present the proof of his successful labours at the gate and King Leopold would give him his commands through his herald, Sydney.

* * *

  
Regina Nemesis looked on satisfied as the arrogant King cowered in fear in front of the hero. She was furious with Leopold, as she had learned that just after she had told him about Robin’s arrival and what he was to do, the King had received the visit of another Goddess, the Queen of Olympus, Cora. Cora had told Leopold to increase the difficulty of the tasks, and to put every hindrance possible in Robin’s way so he wouldn’t survive. 

  
Regina had thought the other Goddess did it to spite her, it wouldn’t be the first time after all. Once before, Regina had favored another mortal, a kind, young man named Daniel, who despite suffering several offences never once had a desire for vengeance. It had fascinated her and she had tested him. He had proven worthy, and as she had been about to reward him, Cora had killed him, saying mortals didn’t belong among them. She had then struck Regina leaving a mark on her upper lip and made it impossible for it to heal completely. A reminder, Cora had called it, and Regina never forgot.

  
This time was different though. Regina had overheard a conversation between Cora and Zeus where the Goddess told her husband that Robin was the man the ancient prophecy talked about, the man with the lion tattoo, and if confronted to the full extent of his abilities, he could challenge the Gods themselves. He had to be crushed and fast, she had said. Zeus had scoffed, used as he was to his wife's paranoia, but he knew better than to try and stop her.

  
As Robin had presented his first trophy, Regina tried to guess what Cora could possibly reserve as the second assignment.

  
She soon found out and it should have been obvious to her. The Lernaean Hydra, a monstrosity Cora had raised with the sole purpose of destroying a powerful hero such as Robin, the hero he was slowly becoming. 

  
Regina watched as Robin headed to the swamp near Lake Lerna and its poisonous fumes. He had enlisted the help of a relative, Will who once won in chariot racing at the Olympics. 

  
She watched as they struggled against the Hydra, discovering that destroying one of its heads caused two to burst in its place. She watched as the Hydra seized Robin, preventing him from moving and a large crab appeared to bite at his feet. Robin managed to smash the crab and tried once more to dispose of the Hydra. Regina then whispered to Will that the key was to burn the base of each head just as they were severed to prevent it from growing again.

  
The two men worked efficiently and soon only remained the ninth head, the immortal one which Robin promptly cut off and buried on the way back to Tiryns.

  
Regina heard Cora’s screams of rage resounding in all of Olympus, and she smiled. A smile that soon fell as Cora, through Leopold, informed Robin that this task couldn’t be counted since he had received extensive help from Will.

  
The next few years became a tug of war between Cora and Regina, as the former tried to find the task that would bring Robin to his knees and end him once and for all, and the latter did everything in her power to keep him alive.

  
Cora then tried to elicit another Goddess' wrath against Robin by having him capture Ruby Artemis’ beloved Ceryneian Hind. He once again succeeded, and as Ruby Artemis appeared to him, he appeased her by explaining he was only capturing the animal as part of his penance, and he would set it free as soon as he showed it to the King.

  
Regina’s pride in Robin grew as Cora’s fury did. He captured the Erymanthian Boar and the Cretan Bull, cleaned the Augean stables in a single day, another task which was invalidated, slayed the Stymphalian Birds and the Mares of Diomedes. He obtained the cattle of the monster Geryon, and the belt of Zelena Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, for Leopold’s insipid and spoiled daughter. 

  
He stole the apples of the Hesperides, by tricking Atlas, the titan who bore the world’s weight on his shoulders, into getting them for him. A wedding gift from Cora to Zeus, there was no way Robin could have retrieved them himself, but Atlas was the father of the Hesperides. Robin took Atlas’ burden while the titan fetched the apples and when the titan decided he didn’t want to resume his duty, Robin played him and was able to flee with the Apples back to Leopold’s city. Regina had been very impressed by this one success more than by any other.

  
It was finally down to one. One last task.

* * *

  
Eight years, eleven tasks, two nullified, meaning there was only one left. Robin had travelled all around the world, made faithful friends and mortal enemies. Delivered oppressed people and slaughtered kings, centaurs, giants, beasts of all kind, all in the name of his redemption.

  
He had so much blood on his hands he wondered if he would ever be able to wash it all off. However, as time passed, he felt less and less the ache of his losses. Marian’s face was fading away, he could barely remember the sound of her voice as his thoughts were consumed by another. The Goddess hadn’t left him, appearing in his dreams almost every night, and sometimes, more and more so, even in his waking thoughts. He would turn his head and believe she was there. 

  
Being assigned his next labour became more about knowing that he would see her again and receive her advice than about redeeming himself. Each time his travels led him near the temple where it all began, he would visit it and talk to her for hours, and sometimes, he would see the shimmer again and know she was there, listening.

  
He realised after his first task that he was more than a simple mortal in penitence. He had managed to perform physical prowesses unheard of, and coming across several deities, he had been told he had thus incurred Cora's wrath. His abilities to carry out his assignments and the struggle between Cora and Regina Nemesis were the main discussions on Olympus.

  
It would soon be over though. One last task and he would get to make his choice as she had promised him.

  
His jaw went slack as the herald told him what his final labour would be. Of all of the things he had had to do this one really was the icing on the cake. To capture and bring before the King, Cerberus, the three headed monstrous dog who guarded Hades. To do so he would have to go in the Underworld and leave it in one piece. No one had ever been able to do it. 

  
During his travels, Robin had heard about priests in Eleusis who could initiate some people to the mysteries of the Underworld and the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone who was kidnapped by Hades himself. Knowing this could help the initiates find happiness in the Realm of the Dead. Robin hoped it would help him in finding safe passage. After a few tests, he was admitted and received the informations he craved. With the help of several deities whose friendship he had won, he was able to find the entrance to Hades.

  
He met with the God himself and asked him his permission to take Cerberus. Hades gave his ascent as long as Robin was able to defeat it without using any weapons. Robin came face to face with the monster, and for a moment, he thought how easy it would be to just stop here, to stay in the Underworld and find Marian. Regina’s face appeared in his mind and he focused on it, drawing strength and resolve. He finally acknowledged that Marian was his past, he had built a full life since her death, what good would it do to give up now, after everything, when he was so close to the end of his penance.

  
Another rush of adrenaline consumed him as he thought about what his success would mean and he charged towards the beast. He wrestled with it and managed to grasp the three heads and force it to submit.

  
He brought Cerberus to Leopold and then returned it to the underworld. Once it was done, he fell on his knees, it was over, he had done it, everything that was asked of him and more, he did it. He only had to make one last journey before he could be a free man again.

  
He went back to her temple and stood in front of her statue. He spoke loudly in the deserted sanctuary.

  
“I accomplished my ten labours as you commanded. You said it would mean forgiveness and a choice. I am ready to make that choice.”

  
“Are you?” Her voice sent shivers running down his spine, as it always did. He felt as if he was under a spell each time she talked.

  
“I am,” he nodded to emphasize his meaning.

  
“You have made me proud during all those years, Robin of Plataea. You succeeded beyond my expectations. You can ask for anything, you can be anything on this Earth now. You’re a hero for all the world, your story will become a legend told to generations to come. Whatever you wish, I can give to you,” the Goddess declared and Robin stifled a smile, wondering if she would expect his request.

  
“I only wish for one thing,” he said and paused, swallowing. “I want to look upon your face, now, here, in this temple.”

  
The silence was deafening, and Robin was certain he had insulted her beyond repair, and he hung his head in shame and self-loathing.

  
“That’s all you want?” The voice echoed again around him, and it sounded oddly choked to him.

  
“Well, I think it’s a rather grand request,” he replied.

  
The shimmer appeared right in front of him and it slowly, painfully so, intensified until he could discern her silhouette properly, until he could discern her features, until each strand of hair was visible to him.

  
He was blown away by her unparalleled beauty. Even his dreams hadn’t done her justice, her very presence radiated and he wanted to lose himself in her gaze.

  
“What man could look upon such beauty and ever wish to see anything else?” He whispered. "I would give everything to only see you for every day I still have to live.”

  
She cocked her head and seemed to doubt his words. “You don’t know what you’re saying. Being shackled to the ruthless Goddess of vengeance is not a fate any man should wish.”

  
Robin shook his head. “You gave me a second chance, you protected me during all those years, and now you’re giving me the chance to be whatever I want. What I want is you, and if I have to go through another eight years of deadly tasks to prove to you that I mean it, I will.”

  
She looked stunned, her eyes wide, her lips parted.

  
“It will not be easy, to do this you will have to give up your mortal flesh. It will be painful, and if you can’t go through with it, you will die,” she murmured, as if she didn’t wish for him to hear, but he did.

  
“I can take anything.”

  
It was painful, she certainly hadn’t lied. He was burning, burning, burning. He couldn’t see or hear or feel anything other than the flames consuming him, but he was determined to succeed in this as he did in everything else.

  
At last, it was over and he was lying on soft ground, the lights were blinding him as he slowly opened his eyes. High, white columns all around the room and the pure, blue sky just outside, he knew he was on Olympus.

  
“Look who has finally woken up,” he turned sharply towards her voice. She was sitting on the ground, just beside him, and he raised his hand towards her face. Her skin felt unbelievably soft and her contact sent warmth coursing through his body, soothing any pain, any ache he had left.

  
He wound his hand in her hair and brought her toward him, making her gasp in surprise. He kissed her like he had never done before, pouring everything he felt for this wonderful Goddess into the action.

  
“I take it you’re not disappointed by your wish being granted?” She whispered against his lips, and he smiled.

  
“I could never be disappointed when the most marvellous creature granted me immortality to spend with her.”


End file.
